INDUSTRY TRAINING PROGRAMS
Background
The success of American agriculture was due in great measure to the integration of
research, education, and extension services conducted with farmers themselves.
Using this model, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, through its Sea
Grant Extension Program, began targeted programs to develop oyster aquaculture
in 1978. Drawing on results of research from the first few years of the institution’s
Sea Grant Program, scientists and extension faculty began identifying leaseholders
interested in adapting new ideas and working to demonstrate techniques. As part
of that effort, it was decided to contact all growers in the state and organize a
conference to discuss results of ongoing research and prioritize their problems for
future directions. The meeting was entitled “Oyster Culture in Maryland ‘79" and
was held in January of that year (see Section 5 - 1979 Leaseholder Survey for more
complete information on the conference).
With the success of the first conference, the industry urged that regular programs
be held. For the next several years, these meetings were organized annually and
served as a means of sharing problems and ideas between growers and scientists.
During the 1980s, Maryland and Virginia extension services joined to hold bi-state
meetings. These met with such success that other states similarly joined the
group, until by the end of that decade the programs were organized by a planning
committee that represented five Mid Atlantic state. These formed the basis of
“Aquaculture In The Mid Atlantic”, a multi-day conference that addressed topics of
interest to all forms of the industry. The program rotated between states and was
held until 1995 when it was joined with a national program, “Aquaculture Expo” for
a conference in Washington, D.C. After that, it was judged that the need for an
annual conference in this region had waned and it was discontinued.
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Westside Project
In 1980, an extension agent in Wicomico County organized a project to bring
economic development to the western side of that county. This multi-faceted
project was called the “Westside Project” and was centered in the Nanticoke area.
Sea Grant Extension faculty were asked to participate, bringing their aquaculture
expertise to it. The region was an anomaly in Maryland, having over a quarter of all
leases in Maryland located there. This was principally because of the H.B. Kennerly
Company, one of the largest shellfish houses in the United States, that was located
there. The owners had made a concerted effort, at the passing of the 1906 Haman
Oyster Culture Law, to urge watermen to obtain leases, which many did. These
growers were provided shell from the shucking house to use as cultch to stabilize
grounds and attract natural spat sets. These watermen/growers would harvest
their leases after the public oyster season ended and before crab season began,
providing much needed income that did not occur in many other areas of the Bay.
The company benefitted by having a year-round supply of oysters, which they
marketed throughout the U.S., and became successful through two generations.
Nanticoke was also home to the Flomax Hatchery, operated by Max and Florence
Chambers. Located in a small
building on the edge of a tidal
pond, the hatchery produced
spat for sale to growers. The
owners used some of the
production to plant their own
grounds. The facility had a
sand beach as part of the
rented property that it was on,
which was used to harden and
Figure 1. Flom ax Hatchery beach hardening and nursery
area near Nanticoke, 1981.
grow out the spat until it was
sold or planted. The area was
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one of few which was intertidal, helping to minimize biofouling without excessive
labor.
The Westside Project brought together University of Maryland extension faculty with
leaseholders in Nanticoke. The concept of the aquaculture portion of the project
was to use the hatchery at Horn Point, at that time a relatively new facility, to aid
demonstrations on increasing productivity on leased ground. The MDNR also had a
small oyster hatchery located at Deal Island that produced spat in cooperation with
HPL. The total output at Deal Island was only around 500,000 spat a year, but it
was in a convenient location to provide support service to the Westside Project and
spat from that facility was used in demonstration outplantings for several years.
A separate component of the project was to develop a 4-H program addressing
oyster aquaculture. Six members were initially recruited and provided with trays of
hatchery oyster seed which they placed in various locations around the county,
keeping track of growth and survival of the seed to answer the question, “Where do
oysters grow best in Wicomico County waters?”
After a year of startup problems, Horn Point hatchery manager Don Meritt was
brought into the project as Sea Grant Extension’s Shellfish Aquaculture Specialist.
He helped organize growers and developed the criteria for participation in the
Westside Project. This provided the foundation for expansion of the program in
future years. To participate, growers had to:
•
have prepared grounds with adequate cultch on the bottom
•
provide the labor for seed movement
•
allow UM faculty to monitoring survival and growth
•
provide harvest data (that would be kept confidential) for analyzing results
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Six participating growers were ultimately brought into the program. Each had
leased bottom with a strong shell base. Hatchery seed from Deal Island was
provided to them for planting at several densities to determine optimum rates.
Remote Setting Introduced
In 1981, Meritt came back from a trip to the Pacific Northwest where he had visited
a series of large and small oyster companies. He brought back the concept of
“remote setting” which had recently been developed for and with the industry.
After discussions with participating Maryland growers, it was decided to try remote
setting as part of the Westside Project.
Two tanks, of approximately 500 and 700
gallons capacity, were moved to
Nanticoke Harbor and set up on the
shoreline at the H. B. Kennerly Company,
which supported the project by providing
electricity and space. A pump was
provided to fill the tanks with ambient
water and a blower was installed to
provide air to keep the larvae in
Figure 2. First rem ote setting experim ent
circulation. Participating growers cleaned the shell used for the project. To get
away from the problem of using shell
bags, plastic containers were
purchased and used to hold the shell.
It was quickly found that as part of the
educational process, growers had to
learn the concept of shell clean enough
for remote setting. After having them
re-clean the shell twice for the initial
Figure 3. Larger setting tanks, Nanticoke
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remote setting run, it was decided to proceed. Within 24 hours all larvae were
dead. This provided a vivid demonstration to the growers on the need to remove all
organic matter from shells prior to setting. It was found that this type of
demonstration was necessary in other locations as the program later expanded.
While the tanks used in the early years of the project were sufficient for small
demonstrations, it became apparent that more capacity would be needed as the
project grew. In 1983, one of the growers located large tanks that were actually
discarded concrete forms from a state highway project. These were moved to
Nanticoke and installed in an abandoned marine railway. The tanks were given a
coat of fiberglass on the inside and used for remote setting for two more years.
The concept for the Westside Project was to keep it low key and to purposely avoid
publicity. It was determined that the best way to make progress with the industry
was to work with a few individuals and get them to the point where they were
earning money from oyster aquaculture. Others would then become interested in
participating and learning new ways to produce oysters and make money. This is
an age old extension concept.
Expanding Education
As the program proceeded, on-site
workshops were held and growers from
other areas were invited to participate.
These extension workshops used
University faculty and growers to teach
remote setting and grounds
management. Once the Nanticoke
growers had upgraded their tanks, and
with interest growing from other areas,
it was decided to move the University
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Figure 4. “Spat-Mobile” ready to be m oved to
setting location
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equipment to other locations and continue
the educational process. After finding
interest in several counties widely dispersed
in the Bay area, it was decided that a simpler
method of moving remote setting tanks and
equipment was needed. Maryland
Cooperative Extension provided funds to
purchase a trailer. The setting tanks and
equipment were installed on the trailer which
was easily moved to setting locations. The
vehicle was known as the “Spat-Mobile” and
was used for several years.
Cooperative projects demonstrating remote
setting were carried out with growers in
Figure 5. Spat production with the
“Spat-Mobile at Crisfield. Intake and
discharge lines run along dock
Wicomico, Worcester, Talbot, Dorchester,
and Queen Anne’s counties. In addition,
projects to look at innovative methods of
stabilizing grounds were investigated at sites as far up as Kent County. In one, the
use of geotextile was investigated to plant grounds that would not otherwise have
been usable. This provided successful in creating habitat on sand bottom next to a
control area that was barren at the end of the experiment. The spread of interest
in oyster culture techniques was a natural outgrowth of growers attending
workshops and requesting to participate using their grounds.
Support Material
Along with the hands-on demonstration projects, a series of publications were
produced addressing topics identified by industry (copies included at end of this
chapter). One dealt with stabilization of oyster ground. Leases were often on
barren bottom and required shell as cultch prior to seed planting. Shell, whether
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dredged from upper Bay deposits or gotten from shucking houses, was often costly
by the time it was in place. The publication “Stabilizing Oyster Ground” provided
references on the amount of shell required for different areas. Another publication,
“Purchasing Seed Oysters”, sought to explain the cost of seed when comparing that
produced by hatcheries to that traditionally available from the James River. A third
publication, “Producing Oyster Seed by Remote Setting”, was a manual on
equipment methods and procedures. This document was deemed important
enough to the industry in the northeast United States to be published by the
Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center (NRAC) and distributed nationally.
Another publication on the production of phytoplankton for hatcheries wa published
and distributed by NRAC as well.
With the remote setting programs, short courses were organized at the Horn Point
hatchery in each of two years. These were week-long programs that provided
attendees an opportunity to engage in hands-on activities through the production
cycle of a hatchery. It included: broodstock acquisition, conditioning and
management; spawning techniques; larval care; phytoplankton production; setting
system operation and management; nursery techniques; grounds management,
outplanting and monitoring; and disease monitoring. These programs were open to
anyone in the United States and
attended by industry as well as
extension faculty from other
areas. The short courses were
funded through the NRAC
Regional Extension Project.
Remote setting workshops
followed a standard procedure.
Growers expressing interest in
Figure 6. Don Meritt shows growers oyster larvae at
attending would be contacted and rem ote setting workshop
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advised of time and date. Microscopes would be brought to the site so they could
see the eyed larvae as well as newly set spat on shell. Tanks would be loaded with
washed, containerized shell, larvae would be introduced into the water, and
phytoplankton would be added for food. Prior set spat would be available for
growers to examine. The participating grower would speak about his experience
and pass on tips he had learned through the program.
In the Westside Project, the 4-H club had a member whose project information was
considered so good that she was awarded a trip to the national 4-H meeting one
summer. As interest in the project grew, a local state Senator got a bill passed
authorizing 4-H clubs to obtain up to ten (10) acres of barren bottom as a lease for
oyster culture studies. This followed a one that had existed for many years
authorizing public high schools to obtain up to five (5) acres for similar studies.
Program Modification
In the mid-1980s however, the program ran into the disease epizootics that were
ranging throughout the Bay. Most of the oysters that had been produced through
the program died because of their placement in high salinity regions. When it
became apparent that disease and its movement throughout the upper portion of
the Chesapeake Bay was going to be the dominant problem for the future, the
program was curtailed. Growers continued to be interested in using grounds only if
it could be assured that their investment would survived to harvest. In most cases,
this was not possible.
The oyster aquaculture education program shifted focus during the 1990s and into
the new century. Projects such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Citizen Oyster
Gardening program was supported with educational programs. These included an
annual Oyster Forum for updates and sharing of information on oyster culture for
restoration with the large corps of citizens producing spat near their docks for
incorporation into sanctuaries being developed.
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At the conclusion of the Maryland Oyster
Roundtable, the development of the Oyster
Recovery Partnership (ORP) provided new
opportunities to advance oyster culture.
Remote setting using hatchery produced,
disease free oyster seed became
industrialized. Large-scale methods of
cultch handling had to be developed to
Figure 7. Setting tanks at Horn Point
hatchery for ORP projects
address the planting needs of managed
reserves and sanctuaries that were being
developed in a massive effort to restore the oyster resource of the Bay.
Mechanization of cultch handling,
setting, and deployment of spat was
developed in cooperation with ORP.
From the use of shell bags, the
development of stainless steel cages
allowed more rapid cycling of material.
Construction of the Aquaculture and
Restoration Ecology Lab (AREL) at Horn
Point vastly increased production of
more larvae for projects.
Figure 8. Large-scale deploym ent of oyster
spat as part of restoration
With the development of selected lines of oysters and the potential for triploids
being able to reach market, even in areas of high disease pressure, the need for
industry education is again growing. To develop an industry that has fallen into
almost total non-production it will be necessary to integrate research and
demonstration projects into the effort to rebuild the oyster industry.
-Don Webster
University of Maryland
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